He is part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Win tickets to The Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival, 'People Magazine' Hits Newsstands On This Date in 1974, We're Celebrating Women Who Make Music & Culture. Regular segments include "The Shizzy", a daily news update; "Tech Tuesday", where listeners pose consumer electronics questions to an industry expert; and "The Thursday Hook-Up", a call-in dating game. I met great radio personalities like Chuck Knapp, Lou King Kirby, Chuck Dunaway, Big John Roberts and Billy Bass. Monday, October 01, 2018. He died in 2014 at the age of 86. WMMS, WTAM and the other iHeart stations in Cleveland will get a new home this year. (Billy Bass is at far left in the photo, kickin' it with the WHK crew, circa 1968. "[86] From 1991 to 1993, WMMS served as the FM flagship for the Cleveland Browns, sharing coverage with then-sister WHK; the late Nev Chandler served as play-by-play announcer. For the station's tenth anniversary in 1978, WMMS hosted and broadcast a live Springsteen concert at the Agora Ballroom independent of his concert tour. A comedic mainstay of the morning show at WMMS-FM/100.7 for years, the character is the creation of comedian John Carillo, a California native who uses John Rio as his stage name. The WMMS Mushroom Logo can be seen a few times throughout the movie - During a backstage scene at the Music Hall right before Stillwater takes the stage and when groupie Penny Lane played by Kate Hudson is dancing alone in the empty venue - you can see a banner with the Mushroom Logo and the slogan Where The Music Means Something. Already strained by ongoing contract renewal negotiations, the incident further alienated the two parties, and by November of that year the show was cancelled. In honor of the station's milestone birthday, we've compiled a list of some of the Buzzard's most memorable DJs and behind-scenes personalities, spanning the full 50-year history of the station. [145] WMMS itself also airs The Rover Rewind, a weekly recap show on Saturday mornings. Boom also spent time on the Buzzard Morning Zoo and filled in during other air shifts. He made his debut on WMMS in 1984. He became a part of the heyday of WMMS, which included on-air personalities like Kid Leo, Denny Sanders, Matt the Cat, Betty Korvan, Len Goldberg and the BLF Bash. BuzzardFest 2000 took Place on June 30, 2000 at Nautica on the Flats West Bank. "The station, like any radio station, it really reflects the people who are running it and the ownership of the station. BLF also praised musicians and was a great fan of the Texas Tornadoes and Blue Cheer. February 11, 2020 Sean Collier, Photos by Becky Thurner Braddock Sean McDowell With time and freedom, longtime DJ Sean McDowell can't get off the road. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. Over the next twenty years Matt did mostly middays and hosted the weekly Coffee Break Concerts, likely introducing more concerts than anyone in Cleveland history. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Billy Bass, Doc Nemo, Vic Boc and Pat Mack. Based on considerably high record sales in the Cleveland market, Bowie (in his Ziggy Stardust persona alongside The Spiders from Mars) kicked off his first U.S. tour in "The Rock Capital" (a term coined by Bass). Goldfinger, The Refreshments, Triple Fast Action and others played the second stage at the top of the hill. In 1995 he was the PA voice introducing acts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Grand Opening concert at Municipal Stadium. Mike McConnell Eddie & Rocky Lance McAlister Mo Egger Gary Jeff Walker America's Truckin' Network with Bubba Bo Mike Allen Ken Broo Rachel Elliot Five Rounds with Rocky Gamble & Fin 700WLW Weekends Big Outdoors NFL Football Talk Dave the IT Guy Reds Hot Stove League TriHealth Medical Minute Features Advertise on 700WLW Rachel Elliot Home Posts Mike had been heard on a number of Cleveland radio stations over the years, putting in 40 years ol the air. It was supposed to be a colorful logo including all the rainbow colors - but at the time, the station didn't have the budget to do multiple colors so they kept it one color. Goldberg started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1972 and remained there until 2004, longer than any other personality employed there during the Buzzard's heyday. [113] The Ramones headlined BuzzardFest '95 the following spring (May 1995) at Blossom;[114] other acts included Our Lady Peace, The Rugburns and Face to Face. Play-by-play itself is also limited to over-the-air FM; due to league restrictions, the WMMS webcast on iHeartRadio does not stream play-by-play coverage online. The concert was broadcast on WMMS and an additional seven stations, reaching throughout the Midwest to Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and other markets and would eventually reach far beyond that radius, thanks to the many who were rolling tape to record the concert from their stereo. (Plain Dealer file photo), "Spaceman Scott" - Scott Hughes, better known as Spaceman Scott, was a member of WMMS-FM/100.7's top-rated "Buzzard Morning Zoo" in the 1980s, along with Jeff Kinzbach, Ed "Flash" Ferenc, and others. We had a pretty good run with it in the '70s to the mid-'80s.". [57], Following a legal dispute with a competing station owner over non-compete clauses in their contracts, former Top 40 WIXY personalities Dick "the Wilde Childe" Kemp and Lou "King" Kirby were signed by MetroMedia for the top 40 format. Ferenc also has a small advertising agency called Flashpoint. Kid Leo was actively involved in the campaign in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland - which lead to the mayor Geroge Voinovich granting him a key to the city in 1990. The team did later relocate to Cleveland, but lasted only a few months until an acrimonious breakup between Wolf and Mulrooney. [127] A new airstaff was assembled after the stunt: Tim "Slats" Guinane was hired for afternoon drive replacing Brian & Joe, who were transferred to WMVX, and music director Mark Pennington replaced Bill "BLF Bash" Freeman in overnights. It was in use in 1971 but was discontinued after the band the Rolling Stones issued a cease and desist order against MetroMedia for it resemblance to their logo. [71], From the onset, Helton's streamlined artwork resulted in an aggressive, yet family-friendly symbol for the station, one that continues to endure more than 40 years later. Cox also frequently takes calls from listeners, and often interviews guests in studio and over the phone. [51] Like most early FM stations, WHK-FM mostly simulcast the Top 40 programming of its AM sister station. We all have such respect for what this station did back in the day. His "BLF Bash" was an overnight mainstay at the Buzzard from 1976-1994. The top 40 format also failed to make any major ratings impact. According to her LinkedIn page, she now works as a freelance voice actor and author. Win tickets to see Adam Sandler at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Win tickets to see Weezer at Blossom Music Center, Win tickets to see Disturbed at Blossom Music Center. Date unknown. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Cyndi Lauper, The Pretenders, New York Dolls, and Southside Johnny. 'Pig Virus,' riles WGN Radio's Chicago fan base", http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-02-21.pdf, "Clear Channel Wins Bidding Contest, Agrees to Buy Jacor Communications", "Clear Channel Renames Itself iHeartMedia in Nod to Digital", "At the controls: Clear Channel programmer rules radio in Cleveland", "Buzzard scam gets WMMS what it wanted: more listeners", "Arbitron: Listening Up, Fave Stations The Same", "Browns next to explore market for radio rights", "CCM+E/Cleveland Names Chris Tyler PD Of WMMS, WAKS, 99X", "Jason Carr Named PD Alt 99.1 FM and APD for WMMS/Cleveland", "Pair of Indianapolis Morning Show Changes", "93X/Memphis Flips, ESPN Sportsradio 680 Gets FM Simulcast", "iHeartRadio: Rover's Morning Glory Replay", "iHeartRadio: Rover's Morning Glory On Demand", "June 4th 2014 - Tweens Kill For Slenderman/Chef Steve Schimoler In-Studio/Racism In America", "Rover and WMMS Agree to a Contract Extension That Will Keep Him on the Air Through 2017", "Best of Cleveland 2004: Best Morning DJ", "Best of Cleveland 2005: Best Radio Morning Show", "Best of Cleveland 2006: Best Radio-Host Homecoming", "Best of Cleveland 2007: Best Radio Show", "Best of Cleveland 2009: Best Local Radio Personality", "Best of Cleveland 2014: Best Radio Personality", "Best of Cleveland 2015: Best Radio Show", "Cleveland DJ Helps Cast a Spell on LeBron", "Best of Cleveland 2011: People & Places", "Best of Cleveland 2012: People & Places", "Best of Cleveland 2013: People & Places", "Alan Cox Talk Show Rocks Cleveland on WMMS-FM", "iHeartRadio Shows & Personalities: The Alan Cox Show 24/7", "December 16, 2014 episode - Alan Renews His Contract/The Show Recaps Bad Decisions/Drunk or Kid", "Cody 'Poundcake' Brown is out and entertaining as part of popular 'Alan Cox' show on WMMS", "Aerosmith Frontman Explains New Album Delay (Audio) - June 26, 2012", "Forbes has it in for Cleveland. [125] As part of the stunt, Denny Sanders returned to host an airshift, programming the music at his discretion. Cleveland's Rock Station, home of Rover's Morning Glory, The Alan Cox Show, and FM Home of Cleveland Guardians Baseball. Halper left Cleveland in 1975 to work at Mercury Records in New York City, then spent years working in radio as a consultant and various other capacities. [141] Maxwell was known for having feuds with other radio personalities during the show's time at WMMS, including Rover of Rover's Morning Glory and fellow WTAM afternoon host Mike Trivisonno; by 2009, Maxwell had become the number one afternoon program in several key demographics. Quiet Riot played 11 songs. 'MMS listener favorites like Green Day, Letters to Cleo, Everclear, Better Than Ezra, Alice in Chains, Garbage and Silverchair were just a few of the bands featured in Buzzard Bone. He offered "Solid Goldbergers" and ordered us to "EN-joy". There's proof! However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts. By 1984, the WMMS format moved to an CHR/AOR hybrid, playing a great deal of Top 40 rock singles in hot rotation mixed with album cuts; this new blended rock/Top 40 format was soon known by those at the station as Rock Forty. He returned to Cleveland radio in 1997, working at both WMJO-FM/105.7 and WZJM-FM/92.3. "They did a number of formats, and I was at the right place at the right time with a lot of other people. Saul joined WMMS as a salesman after the station switched to a rock format. ". The WMMS Coffee Break Concert was a weekly music-interview show broadcast live from the station's studio, and later with an audience at the Agora Ballroom. Image of Bill Hader above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry. "[32] "De-emphasized" in the fall of 2007, the scavenger was revived the following spring to coincide with the station's 40th anniversary and with the arrival of morning personality Rover. In 1966, in an effort to make the medium more commercially viable, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that FM stations could no longer duplicate the programming of their AM sister stations. He worked a variety of record-industry jobs after that, becoming senior vice president of marketing at Chrysalis Records during the 1980s. The new logo depicted the sex, drugs and rock and roll image that the owner was looking for. Since leaving Cleveland in the 1990s, she has worked in radio in various big-city markets, including Philadelphia and Phoenix. It really was an awesome time.' Candlebox headlined the 2 stage show at Blossom Music Center on May 18, 1996. No Doubt performed Buzzard Fest on May 18, 1996. Guest spots on WJR's Morning Show for Hollywood and Gossip Reports. One of the first black DJs in Cleveland radio, he worked at WIXY-AM/1260, and became one of the WIXY Supermen. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. [38][39] Considered "a true radio legend," WMMS DJ Kid Leo was chosen for Rolling Stone's "Heavy Hundred: The High and Mighty of the Music Industry" (1980) and named "The Best Disc Jockey in the Country" in a special 1987 issue of Playboy. Len "Boom" Goldberg's unmistakable voice was heard for three decades on 100.7 WMMS. Soon after, the station revered back to the Progressive Rock format to battle WNCR of Nationwide Communications, itself filling the void created by the brief absence of WMMS on the album rock scene. He influenced many listeners of the station and kept the momentum alive pushing new music into the ears and speakers of the audience of WMMS. Brian and Joe talk to Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20. [39][40] Noted filmmakers, including Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and Paul Schrader (Light of Day), have called on both TheBuzzard and its personnel while preparing for various rock-themed productions. Described by Talkers magazine as "a bold anomaly worthy of industry attention", the show itself has successfully continued the format established by its predecessor The Maxwell Show all talk during afternoon drive on an FM rock station. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license. Perlich moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and became a radio legend in that town, too, working at KMET and later KFAC and KCSN, where he hosted acclaimed interview shows. 54,419 people like this 52,406 people follow this http://www.wmms.com/ (216) 578-1007 His radio career began in 1973 with Cleveland on100.7WMMS. The Buzzard made its first appearance in a print ad in a magazine called Zeppelin. Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. professional boxing referees; uf college of medicine class of 2023; kalalau valley hippies DJ additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog,"[86] Scooter (WMMS music director Brad Hanson), former WRQC nighttime Personality and later WNCX Afternoon Drive and Production Director, Tom "Jack" Daniels (who returned to the Cleveland airwaves after a successful stint as Program Director of WLEV, Allentown, PA), Lisa Dillon[86] and station veteran Matt the Cat,[86] (who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two-year absence.) [117] BuzzardFest 2000 was held on June 30, 2000, at the Nautica Stage; Stone Temple Pilots, performing in Cleveland for the first time in six years, headlined the event.[118]. The Cleveland Free Clinic staffed aid stations in the stadium with physicians, nurses and other volunteers, and through 1977, made its treatment statistics public. Fans were encouraged to drop off a self-addressed stamped envelope to a local record store in order to score tickets. He would go on and on about what is wrong with the world, horrible co-workers and bosses and the daily grind of the work day. As WMMS celebrates the anniversary, both on-air and online, using archival audio, memorabilia and station-related artifacts to offer a cross-section of the station's diverse history and the. He later took his groundbreaking progressive rock show to WNCR FM/95.5, working alongside pioneering Cleveland rock deejays Billy Bass and David Spero. Bryan Adams Agora photo credit: Janet Macoska, Sammy Hagar Odeon photo credit: Daune Raz. The show is now syndicated to WKGB-FM/Binghamton, WRKK/Williamsport, and WZNE/Rochester; replays continuously on a dedicated iHeartRadio channel; is available on demand through iHeartRadio; and broadcasts over the Livestream video platform. [85] Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. The people who put it together aren't even smart enough to know where our city boundaries are." In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Get Started Channel Hosts In Your Vehicle Streaming HOWARD STERN Howard 100 Hoda Kotb Today Show Radio Peter Mansbridge Canada Talks Sandra Bernhard Radio Andy Erin Burnett CNN Billy Idol 1st Wave Mad Dog Russo Mad Dog Sports Radio All we can do is hope to create something cool so that in 20 years people will say, 'Man, remember what WMMS used to be like? In 1988 he left to work as an executive at Columbia Records, where he served until 2002. [78] Concertgoers occasionally fell or jumped off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. His voice is also heard on a number of Cleveland area radio and TV commercials. WMMS also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. In other words, the carrion-eating bird represented "death and dying" a darkly comic reflection of the city's decline. John Gorman, Denny Sanders and Kid Leo organized the original campaign with Tunc Erim, assistant to Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun. All rights reserved (About Us). Eventually moved to WNCX-FM/98.5, where she was a popular afternoon-drive deejay for a number of years. Buzzard-Palooza was the first of these: held in July 1994 at the Nautica Stage, the all-day concert included sets from Collective Soul, Junkhouse and Fury in the Slaughterhouse,[111] but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." She worked there until 1999. "Born to Run" was the essence of everything I loved about rock 'n' roll. The station serves as the FM flagship for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians radio networks. (Cleveland) - One of our co-workers in the IHeartMedia Cleveland newsroom has passed away. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout its history, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air. Denny Sanders Denny Sanders 1972 - 1986 Denny Sanders came to WMMS in 1971 from Boston where he'd been working as a DJ from the time he was just 16 years old. Date Unknown, William Lionel Freeman, better known by the name of his long time overnight show, "The BLF Bash" began his radio career in Fargo and later landed on the east coast in Boston. (Plain Dealer file photo), Matt Lapczinski, better known as "Matt The Cat," started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1974, fresh out of Cleveland State University. [152][156][157][158], Comedian Chad Zumock was a co-host until his dismissal on December 3, 2012, after being arrested for driving while intoxicated;[159] Zumock was acquitted of the charge on May 3, 2013. [139], Bo Matthews (Alex Gutierrez), who became the station's program director in early 2004, hired Ohio native Benjamin "Maxwell" Bornstein that April for a more "personality-driven" afternoon show following the departure of Tim "Slats" Guinane for WXTM. "[33] By April 2008, the station had reverted to branding as The Buzzard but using a road sign-style logo similar to a U.S. Route shield in an allusion to the mascot. (Plain Dealer file photo), A true radio renaissance man, Perlich got his start in the 1960s as host of syndicated Cleveland Orchestra radio broadcasts, interviewing everyone from Aaron Copland to Isaac Stern. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. She has written several books, including "Boston Radio: 1920-2010." Host of "Rover's Morning Glory", a syndicated morning talk show that started at WXTM-FM/92.3 in 2003. WMMS will celebrate its birthday Sunday at Blossom Music Center with a special anniversary concert featuring Ozzy Osbourne. WMMS does not air additional network programming, and the station only airs select games during spring training. WMMS Cleveland, Ohio United States Broadcast area Greater Cleveland Northeast Ohio Frequency 100.7MHz(HD Radio) Branding 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard Programming Language(s) English Format Active rock/hot talk Subchannels HD2: BIN 99.1(All-news) Affiliations Cavaliers AudioVerse Cleveland Guardians WOIO Ownership Owner iHeartMedia (iHM Licenses, LLC) [144] Rover's contract with CBS was set to expire, but it was an affiliate contract inherited from the Free FM stintCBS transferred him back to WKRK-FM after WCKG cancelled itand not a talent contract, thus he was not subject to a non-compete clause. [146] Rover is under contract with WMMS through 2022. 4, their fourth album, which had been released the previous year, but dug deep into their back catalog for a crowd-pleasing set that featured all of the hits and a hefty selection of deeper tracks that were also fan favorites. who killed athena in the witch of portobello; what game relates to a rainbow; ventura county obituary past 3 days; sri lanka parliament election 2015 preferential votes; [142], On April 3, 2009, The Maxwell Show went on the air claiming that Metallicain Cleveland for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony the very next daywas playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot later that evening. David Helton who at the time was working for American Greetings is the man responsible for giving us the iconic symbol we still use to this day. For the Bath, Maine, radio station which identified as WMMS from 1957 to 1964, see, "This radio station is known for breaking the rules, changing the game, and being successful. Late Friday we received an email from Cleveland radio legend John Gorman, the former longtime PD of the equally legendary WMMS, who shared the sad news of the passing of former longtime WMMS late-night personality Betty Korvan, who died at the age of 67. The Buzzard became synonymous with WMMS, Cleveland radio and the city itself, spawning a series of T-shirts so numerous that they are now impossible to catalog, many with slogans like "Where Music Means Something" and "Ruler of the Airwaves.". During a June 19, 2012 interview with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, the show broke news of the delayed release for Music from Another Dimension!, the band's first studio album in eight years. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock (AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings. 20 Country Women We Are Celebrating During International Women's Day Mar 01, 2021. [95], Already program director at OmniAmerica station WMJI, station veteran John Gorman returned to WMMS as vice-president and director of operations in early 1994. Rosenhaus hosts the network pregame show; and Hamilton hosts the network postgame show. Of special note was the early support of Bruce Springsteen by Kid Leo and others, prior to the release of the Born to Run album. During this time, WMMS also began broadcasting a remarkable number of live concerts, many of which originated in Cleveland and were produced by the station itself. [137] Cantle later called the failure of Sean, Cristi and Hunter as "a real team effort" and compared herself unfavorably to Johnny Manziel: "too young, too overconfident and too drunk to handle the responsibility however I have no intentions of playing Canadian football". (Plain Dealer file photo), The legendary gravel-voiced, graveyard-shift DJ at WMMS-FM/100.7, Bill Lionel Freeman, is best known in Cleveland by his initials, "BLF." On May 4, 1970 four students were killed by gunfire from the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University. Hes heard introducing Bruce Springsteens fabled WMMS tenth anniversary show at the Cleveland Agora which is thought to have been the most bootlegged radio concert ever before its official release. [74] Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg remained the longest. Mama, come get your baby boy! Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. The flick which takes place in the 70s tells the story of a teenage boy who writes for Rolling Stone with the main focus being the rock band Stillwater. (Photo courtesy Lou Santini), Saul is best known the "Get Down Man," whose Friday afternoon riffs and rants on WMMS-FM/100.7 made him a local celebrity in the 1970s. [35] The fall 1998 Arbitron books showed WMMS with a substantial increase in listeners; Plain Dealer radio critic Roger Brown commented, "the scam worked" claiming it drove people to listen to the station again for what was supposedly the format's final days. With content being supplied by journalists and WMMS personnel, it was the perfect companion to what WMMS was doing on air at the time with a focus on the new bands and artists of the alternative music era. From 1978 on, Belkin Productions conditioned its funding of the Free Clinic on the nondisclosure of the number of Clinic staff on duty at the concerts, the nature of conditions treated and the number of patients treated.[79][80]. The stations involved are WMMS (FM), WTAM (AM/FM), WMJI (FM), WGAR (FM), WHLK (FM), WAKS (FM), WKAS (HD2) and WARF (AM). Other shows, like The Buzzard Morning Show with Rick and Megalis (Rick Eberhart, Tom Megalis) and WMMS Mornings with Sean, Cristi, and Hunter (Sean Kelly, Cristi Cantle, Hunter Scott), came and went in quick succession. Contestants got a little crazy and ate everything from maggot sandwiches, piles of peoples left overs, urinal cakes and fish guts. [120] Meanwhile, ownership would change yet again as Nationwide Communications was bought out by Jacor in November 1997. [83][89] Lisa Dillon, Ric Bennett and Tom Renzy also would depart the station that same day. During this time, with Denny Sanders as his creative services director and Rhonda Kiefer as programming assistant, WMMS broke all Cleveland ratings and revenue records. Play-by-play announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus call games on-site. They worked together on four different stations in the Cleveland/Akron area over the years: WONE-FM/97.5, WENZ-FM/107.9, WMMS-FM/100.7 and WMVX-FM/106.5. (Plain Dealer file photo), Dillon got her start in Cleveland radio in 1988 on WMMS-FM/100.7, working on the morning show with Jeff and Flash. Hughes returned briefly to WMMS in the 1990s for short stints on a new "Morning Zoo" and as an overnight DJ. Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Clevelands FM Air Wars by Mike Olszewski (Kent State University Press), Cleveland Radio Tales by Mike & Janice Olszewski (Gray & Co., Publishers). [98][106] The sale came almost immediately after passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a time when radio companies nationwide rushed "at a fever pitch" to acquire new properties. Springsteen and the band hit the stage full throttle, opening appropriately with a cover of "Summertime Blues," with Springsteen promising, "I'm a gonna raise a fuss/ I'm a gonna raise a holler.". Spero would go on to become one of Cleveland's early progressive-rock DJs, working first at WNCR and then at WMMS. (Photo courtesy of Shauna Zurbrugg). Photo: Courtesy of John Gorman), One of the young DJs legendary WMMS program director John Gorman brought to the Buzzard when he took over again as WMMS chief in the early 1990s.